Denver Nuggets fans collectively held their breath after the franchise’s star center, Nikola Jokic, suffered a brutal injury against the Miami Heat on Monday night.
While unintentional, Jokic’s teammate, Spencer Jones, stepped on Jokic’s foot during a late first-half defensive possession, causing the three-time MVP to fall to the ground immediately.
An NBA insider’s recent injury update regarding Jokic’s status isn’t great news for the Nuggets and their fanbase.
“Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been diagnosed with a left knee hyperextension and no ligament damage in his left knee,” ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported Monday.
“Jokic will miss a minimum of four weeks, at which point the Nuggets will evaluate his progress. He is not expected to return before the start of February.”
While it’s good that Jokic won’t be sidelined for the remainder of the season, it isn’t ideal for the Nuggets to spend an extended period without their best offensive weapon.
Denver is already down two starters, as Cam Johnson (right knee contusion) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring) have been out of the organization’s lineup.
Take Jokic out of the equation for several weeks, and the Nuggets are suddenly in danger of falling into Play-In territory (the Nuggets currently occupy the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, but haven’t created ample separation from the rest of the pack).
It’s reasonable to assume Denver will rely heavily on Jamal Murray going forward.
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